Orlando Magic’s lack of gravity makes it difficult to close

The Orlando Magic again watched a star player take the game away from them. Their execution might be strong, but they lack the last bit of will late.

The Orlando Magic led by seven points with about five minutes, having erased an 18-point third-quarter deficit.

They did this playing the way they need to play. The ball moved, touching the paint and then zipping out to the perimeter for another attack or a 3-point shot. The Magic attacked the pick and roll, showing no fear for anyone in their way, trusting their teammates were positioning themselves to take advantage of the defense’s mistake. The defense collapsed and swarmed, limiting opponents to one shot.

Orlando had everything rolling. Coming back like this on the road against a strong Utah Jazz team was the kind of character-building win this team had been missing. The Magic had everything flowing and there was a focus this team has not had against elite teams.

But the Jazz had Donovan Mitchell. They had Rudy Gobert. And those players make a difference just by stepping onto the floor. When they have the end of the game in their sights, they can take their games to another level.

Nikola Vucevic snapped out of his shooting funk to give the Magic a one-point lead and a few possessions later hit a jumper to extend the Magic’s lead to 97-90. That seemed to be when Mitchell’s focus narrowed.

He ran a pick and roll and got by Evan Fournier with a free lane to the basket. Nikola Vucevic hung with Rudy Gobert and recognized the drive too late. Mitchell was already on his ascent, rising above the 7-foot center for a massive one-handed jam.

The crowd at the Vivint Smart Home Arena started buzzing. Suddenly the tenor of the game changed.

Evan Fournier would say after the game that this individual play would not have an effect on the game. It was still two points after all. The Magic had their opportunities to turn the tide of the game. Fournier missed two open shots down the stretch and Vucevic missed another. It was not the Magic’s day down the stretch in a 109-102 loss.

But maybe the Magic were a bit rattled. Maybe they were pressing a bit more with the end of the game coming.

Really, it was the look in Mitchell’s eye that moment awakened or that deficit awakened. He was not going to let the Jazz blow that lead or lose the game.

In the final five minutes of the game, Mitchell scored eight points and assisted on another. That dunk started a 19-5 run to close the game with Mitchell hitting runners over tough defense to make it a three-point and five-point lead in the final minute of the game.

Mitchell went into closer mode to reach 30 points for the game. He was attacking well off the dribble all game, catching Fournier off balance and causing him to retreat. But even against good defense he was able to create space.

On that last floater to make it a five-point lead he took on Aaron Gordon and got him off balance with a crossover step-back before he attacked the rim again to finish.

Mitchell has an undeniable gravity about him. All eyes are on him when he touches the floor. And the Magic simply do not have someone with this attitude and this ability. Not yet, at least.

D.J. Augustin played it throughout the fourth quarter to get the team back in the game — with 14 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter. Markelle Fultz was keeping the team on the attack for much of the game off the dribble on his way to 14 points.

But the end of the game goes through Fournier and Vucevic. As limited as those two players might be, they are the two best offensive options on this team. While Markelle Fultz might have the most creative spark, he is still not consistent offensively. The end plays should still run through the Magic’s best and most consistent offensive players.

Neither player is going to take the entire defense’s attention. They are both good offensive players, but both are players defenses can focus in on and eliminate. That is what happened in last year’s playoffs.

If the Magic are aiming to be a playoff team, then eventually they will have to pull out these game sand beat competitive teams. Right now, the Magic are missing the thing that Mitchell can give the Jazz.

It was the same when James Harden warped the Orlando Magic’s defense Friday night against the Houston Rockets.

Orlando had solid defense and a good game plan against him. But he blew that up with his shot making. Harden is the kind of player that can drop 30 against a good defense. And the Magic eventually had to change how they played defense to try to stop him.

Mitchell was not quite at that level. But Orlando clearly had no answer once the Mitchell train got going.

The Jazz have two such players that require complete attention on their side of the floor.

Gobert has a sort of anti-gravity defensively. The Magic struggled to make shots throughout the first half. But a lot of that came because the team was staying on the perimeter, seemingly afraid to go into the paint. Orlando had a lot of one-pass possessions where the ball stayed on the perimeter.

Orlando Magic

This kind of gravity is the hardest thing to find. It is not something a team can manufacture. It comes from respect and determination and the ability to make individual plays against tough defense.

It is no secret the Magic lack this star player. As coach Steve Clifford often says, that is not who this team is. It takes a team effort.

This is the biggest part of the Magic’s small margin for error. There is no one to carry them home at the end of games.

Still, the Magic have to find a way. They have to execute and they have to make shots at the end of games. Orlando had the first part in Tuesday’s loss, but the team lacked the second part.

One shot, indeed, would have changed this game. A shaky finish would have still been a win. The Magic left the door open and a player like Mitchell took that as an invitation to come in.

Orlando is still building confidence to win close games against quality opponents. The Magic still have only one win against a team with a winning record this season.

And so Orlando is still scratching and clawing its way through these moments. Through winning time when the result is ultimately determined.

Tuesday, the Magic were left wondering how their execution was not enough. In this league, sometimes good execution is not enough. Sometimes it does take will.

The Magic have to find that will again and get across the finish line in these games and force defenses to watch them.